New Medical Tourism Hub Being Built in Abu Dhabi

When Rosewood Hotels and Resorts opens its new high-rise in Abu Dhabi at the end of this year, it will have a valuable next-door neighbor: the Cleveland Clinic. Both the Ohio-based medical center and the hotel group are newcomers to the United Arab Emirates, a new hub for the medical world. For the clinic, the move is even more of a milestone—the Abu Dhabi location is the Cleveland Clinic’s first outside North America (other branches include Palm Beach, Las Vegas and Toronto).

The hotel and clinic are being built on the city’s Sowwah Island in a master-planned development slated to become Abu Dhabi’s new business district. Construction currently dominates the island, but it will soon be the location for more than 500,000 square feet of commercial space, including office buildings and luxury shops as well as Rosewood Abu Dhabi, Cleveland Clinic and a Four Seasons hotel (planned to open in 2013).

The medical facility is expected to attract patients from all over the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East when it opens in 2013 with five specialized institutes and the newest technology. The Rosewood hotel and the clinic will be connected by climate-controlled walkways—helping patients avoid Abu Dhabi’s intense summer heat. Once inside the luxe environs of Rosewood Abu Dhabi, guests will find residential-style décor and an escapist vibe.

“You will feel like you’re on your own private island—the hotel has that resort feel to it,” says Luigi Romaniello, managing director of Rosewood Abu Dhabi. “We are not a flashy hotel; we are inspired by the natural beauty of what the region offers.”

This subtle design approach will be seen in the 34-story waterfront hotel’s 190 guest rooms, which will feature local artwork, with everything in the room—from the lights to the temperature—controlled from a bedside iPad. Amenities will include a full-service spa, eight different restaurants and 24-hour butlers, who can do everything from shine your shoes to pick up your prescriptions. —By Ashley Hamilton

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